Key actuated type selecting



Feb. 1, 1944.

T. A. KEEN ErAL KEY ACTUATED TYPE SELECTING MECHANISM Original Filed Aug. 7, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l IIIIIIIIII'I/IIIIIIII/II/III INVENTORS THOMAS A. KEEN JAMES X'lLBL/QG a! W x ATTORNEYS.

Feb. I, 1944. 1i A. KEEN ETAL KEY ACTUATED TYPE SELECTING MECHANISM .2 sheets-sheet 2 A Original Filed Aug. 7, 1939 S R G S \QN 4 QN W a EN 3 M A PO M :kw

Patented Feb. 1, 1944 KE-Y ACTUATED TYPE'SELECTING MECHANISM i Thomas A. Keen, San Mateo, and James Kil'burg, Redwood City, Caliil, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, of one-half to said Keen and one-half to Hannah M. Smith, Chicago,

Ill.

Original applicationAugust 7, 1939, Serial No.- 288,840. Divided and this application .March 17,. 1941, Serial No. 383,686

12 Claims.

. This invention relates to key actuated type selecting mechanism,. and particularly to mechanism of this kind which is suitable for use in'a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind customarily used for the sale of tickets representing wagers or entries in a race conducted under the so-called parimutuel system.

This application is a division of our co-pendi ng application entitled Ticket printing and issuing machine, filed August '1, 1939, Serial No. 288,840.

- The machine disclosed in said co-pendingapplication includes a ticket printing mechanism and keyboard controlled mechanism for selective settingof the type thereon and initiation of ticket printing and issuing operations of the machine. The keys of the machine are numbered to correspend with the numbers which identify the par-- ticipants or entries in a race and depression of any one key effects setting-of the printing mechanism and operation of the machine to print and issue a ticket bearing the number of the key depressed. It is -to the mechanism through which the keys on the keyboard efiect selective operation of the machine and to related mechanisms that the present vapplication is particularlydirected.

An object of the present invention is to provide mechanism for selecting :type in a ticket printing machine or the like, which'mechanism is controlled by a keyboard andin which depression of any key will efiect motor driven operation of the selecting mechanism, with the work accomplished by the movement of the key itself reduced to a minimum and the heavier load of the actual type selection being carried by motor driven elements.

A. further object of this invention is the provision in a key actuated type selecting mechanism of means to insure positive selection dependent upon key operation but motivated principally by a source of power which is brought into operative relationship with the selecting mechanism upon depression of the key;

A still further object is the provision of means through which depression of any key on the keyboard of a ticket printing machine will close an electric circuit to place the ticket printing mechanism in operation, together with means including a single switch which may be opened to disable or scratch all corresponding keys on a plurality of such machines.

Further objects and advantages of the invention are made apparent in the following speciii-- cation, wherein reference is made to the accom panying drawings illustrating the invention in a preferred form. e r

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a ticket printing; and issuing vmachine embodying the present invention, with parts of the machineibroken away andpartsshown in section for the purpose of clearlyillustrating the principles of the invention;

FigT 2 is a detail in side elevation. of a portion. of the selecting mechanismiillustrate'd in 1; Fig. '3 is a front elevation of the keyboard assembly illustrated in Fig, 1, with parts broken away; Y v 7 Fig. 4 is a central vertical section :of a key switch and housing therefsor,..one of whichembraces a stem of each of. theikeysv-in the keyboard assembly;

'Fig. 5 is a' sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 4-; v v Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating details of construction of a portion of the mechanism illustrated-in Fig 3; and

Fig.1? is a. similar view eta difierent portion of the mechanism. 1 a

The machine of which. the present invention forms "a part 'com.1: rises vas i'ssbes-t-iilhistrated in Fig. -1,a main housing ill which encloses atype selecting mechanism controlledby the keys-of a keyboard positioned adjacent the forward end: of the housing, as well as the power transmission andothermechanisms incidental to the operation of the machine. 7 a i A. cover'member' H- disposed on top of the housing to encloses the majorpart of aticket printing mechanism, and 1 a-motor housing 1 2ccpending downwardly "from the housing [El "contains-a motor whichsu-pplies power. for the ticket printing andissuing operation and which, through the present invention, also supplies the power required for the major portion ofthe type selecting operation which is effected by depression ofakem I e The-printing head which is disposed within the-cover H comprises a-plurality of discs with peripherally spaced type members; A strip-tobe printed upon, not shownin the presentdrawings, passes below the printing head, and a platen underlying the strip is swungupwardlyduring the printing operation to press the ticket stripagainst the lowermost type on the printingdiscs. These type discs, one of which isshown at 24, are-supported by a rotatable shaft n. htcontinuously operating "motor 400' rotates -aniai-n drive shaft 333 through a sprocket W2, chain 403', sprocket-4W; and 1 upon initiation of a ticket printing and issuing operationof the machine a clutch is en'gagedtoerfect rotation of the shaft of the printing head, first 360 or more in a forward direction and then in reverse to its original position. The type discs 24 are carried with the shaft I1; 'but being resiliently, connected to it, their travel during the forward rotation may be interrupted to position any selected type face for printing upon the ticket. The resilient connec- .125 tion between the type discs and shafts I1 and. the details of the power transmission which ef-' fects rotation of the shaft are not illustrated in the present application, as they do not form a part of the present invention and are all clearly shown and described in ourco-pending application hereinbefore referred to.

The selection of the type face on the disc 24 is effected through keys I arranged in two banks adjacent the forward end ofthe-machine and numbered to correspond to the numbering of the type on th disc 24. Assuming the disc 24 to be the one which prints the number of the entry upon which a bet is placed, the keys I20 are numbered, for example, from one to twelve to correspond to the numbers on those type faces, and depression of. any key will result in printing ofits correspondingnumber on a ticket. The mechanism which connects the keyboard with the entry disc 24 to eifect printing of a number corresponding to the number of the key depressed isshown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6. In Fig.1 a selector plate 54 is shown as mounted on the printing head shaft I1 and as connected with the type disc 24 through a pin and slot connection 51. A selector finger 59 is carried by. a block I2I mounted for. sliding movement to and'away from the axis of the selector plate 54 in a track I22.- Consequently, the selector finger 59 may be advanced or retracted to register with any desired step inthe helically stepped periphery of the selector plate 54. 3 These steps are spaced radially to correspond to the spacing of the type faces on the disc 24 and are spaced progressively outwardly from the shaft I1 so that the distance of retrac tion of .the finger 59 will determine the particular step to be engaged upon rotation of the selector plate. A lever I23 connects with the block I2I through a pin and slot connection I24. This 1ever iszpivoted on a pin I25 carried by a bracket I26. At its lower end the lever I23 is pivoted, as shown,'to the upwardly extending end I of a link I21. This end I35 of the link I21 is adjustably connected through a fitting I36, the purpose ofwhich is to permit adjustment of the effective length of the lever andclamp it securely in its adjusted position The opposite end of the link I 21, is pivotally connected asat I28. to a lever I29. Thislever I29 is keyed to a shaft I30 which, like an. identical shaft I 3'I,, extends transversely rof the machine. .The shafts I30 and I3I are connected together to be oscillated simultaneously, as shown in Fig. 2, by a pair of levers I32 and I3 keyed to the shafts and connected at their lower ends by a link I 34. Thus upon oscillation of eitherofthe shafts I30 or I3I the lever I29 will be oscillated and, through the link I21 and lever I23, .will caus theselector finger 59 to be. ade yanced or retracted a distance depending upon the degree of oscillation of theshafts I30 and BI. These shaftsare adapted to be oscillated by any one of the keys I20 and the degree of oscillation llde en vup t key p e As will appear from the following description, the keys are so arranged that their depression is acom l h w hbu i t Pre r of thefi ta p-v he serve p s tive t it on artso 1 me han sm, which, determi th t ng f.-

the type during the power driven cycle of operation of the machine which follows the depression of any key.

The keys I20 are supported on shafts I40 which, as best shown in Fig. 4, are mounted for vertical reciprocation through a housing 200 which contains a spring 206 normally urging the ,keys totheir raised position. Adjacent its lower 1 end each of theposts I40 carries a projecting pin 'I5I (see Figs. 1 and 3) engageable with a lever 152 which willbe swung downwardly on depression of any key. The lever I52 is fixed to a pivoted bushing I53 which also carries a downwardly extending lever I54, the construction of these parts being clearly shown in Fig. 6, so that the levers I52 and I54 function in the manner of a bellcrank. Depression of any one of the keys I20 swings its associated lever I52 downwardly so that a pin I55 on said lever engages beneath a latch I56 on a latch bar I51. The latch bar I51 extends transversely of the keyboard and carries a latch I56 for each of the keys in the bank with which it is associated. The latch bar I51 is mounted on parallel links I58 and I59 which permit it to move to the side sufliciently for the pin I55 on any one of the key posts to engage under its corresponding latch I56. A spring I60 normally urges the latch bar to the right, as viewed in Fig. 3, and retains the pin I55 and its lever I52 in lowered position, after the pin has been engaged by the latch I56. This position is illustrated on the parts associated with the depressed key, shown inFig. 3. The lever is held in this position until depression of another key serves to move the latch bar slightly to the left, thus efiecting release of the lever I52 associated with the first key depressed and causes its own lever to become latched.

The levers I52 and I54 are swung in a counter-clockwis direction upon depression of the key against the tensionof a. torsion spring I6I (see Fig. 6) wound about the connecting bushing andnormally urging them in the opposite direction. A pin I63 carried by the lower end of the lever I54 projects into a groove I64 (see Figs. 1 and 3) of a collar I65 which is slidable on a shaft I66 but splined against rotation on said shaft. Each of the collars I65 carries a cam I61 which, upon sliding movement of the collar to the right, which is effected by depression of the key which controls it, is moved into alignment with a cam lever I66 fixed to the shaft I30 or the shaft I3I, as the case may be. There are, it should be understood, a pair of latch bars I51, one for each key bank, and these bars are connected together for simultaneousmovement. Likewise there are two of the shafts I66 and every key in each bank controls a cam I61 on one of these shafts through mechanism identical with that just described,

The cam levers I68 which depend from the shafts I30 and I3I are identical, with the exception of that one shown at I29 in Fig; 1, which carries the pivot I28 at its lower end. The cams I61 are similar in shape but graduated in size. Their normal position is that shown in Fig. l, with a flat side I69 registering with the lever I68. Upon each ticket printing operation ofv the machine the shafts I66 are rotated through onev complete revolution by the drive mechanism,

Consequently, the cam I61 which hasbeen selected and aligned by depression of a key with size of, the cam I51. As these cams are graduated in size corresponding to the number of the keys, the key depressed will determine the distance theselector finger 59 is advanced prior to the printing operation, and will further determine, through the selector plate 54, the type, face which is to be selected for printing.

The motor 400 from which the operating power of the machine is derived runs continuously, while the actual operation of the machine is controlled bya. single cycle clutch, not shown, interposed between the motor and the power transmission. This clutch is controlled by a solenoid which, as fully disclosed in our copending application identified above, efiects engagement of the .clutch each time that it is energized to cause the machine to operate through a full cycle, imparting a complete rotation to each of the shafts I65 and also imparting the movement, heretofore described, to the printing head and printing action to the platen.

Depression of any one of the keys I25 effects closing of a circuit to the solenoid to initiate a ticket printing operation of the machine through a switch which forms a partof the key structure, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and which includes a'pair of contact members ZBI retained in place within the housing 200 by screws 252 which also function to clamp the ends of wires to the contact members, the wires forming a part of the switch circuit to the main clutch solenoid. The key post I40 carries a di-electric bushing 264 which supports a contact bridging member 205. Depression of the key against the tension of the spring 206 brings the bridge 205 into contact with the'members 20I to close the circuit to the clutch solenoid.

The bridging member 205 is so spaced from the contact member 20I that it closes the circuit which initiates operation of the machine and causes rotation of the cams I51 just subsequent in time to the positioning of the cam selected by the key whichhas been depressed. This insures proper selection of the type to be printed before operation of the machine. Furthermore, the final downward movement of the key which closes the switch takes place after the key has been depressed to a point where the pin B55 on the lever I52 comes into position beneath the latch I56 on the latch bar I51. therefore raises the lever I52 and key to open circuit position, while the spring 205 within the key switch housing also tends to open the switch, although this latter spring is preferablynot sufficiently strong to raise the key to its uppermost position, Throughthis arrangement the same key may be depressed to initiate successive ticket issuing operations of the machine without the necessity of releasing the lever I52 from its latched downv position after each operation.

It is frequently desirable to put the machine through a trial operation to test electric circuits with which it may be connected and to test the adjustments of its ticket printing and issuing mechanisms. In order that a valid ticket may not be issued upon such trial operation, a special key is provided for the issuance of tickets bearing a symbol, such, for example, as a T, in the normal place of the printed number indicating the number of the entry in a race. For a test or trial operation of the machine the selector mechanism remains in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, in which position the lowermost type on the type disc will be the one desired to be printed on the ticket to represent a trial operation. In

The spring I I v order to operate themachine without adjustment of the entry disc-selector mechanism heretofor described so that they-entry discwill function tov print a T rather than an entry number on the trial ticket issued a try key shown at H0 in Fig. 3 is employed. Thi key is mounted .in the case in amanner similar to the keys I20 but has a post I1I which,a hown in Figs. 3 and 7, engages a vertically reciprocable slide I12 provided with slots I13 through which shoulder screws I14 extend to guideit for vertical sliding movement on a bearing bracket I15 which also serves as a bearing support for the shafts I55 and I3I and which supports a transversely extending plate I15 on which are formed bearings for the levers I52 and I54, hereinbefore described. The slide I12 has a rearwardly projecting arm I11 with vertical ears I18 at its opposite ends and a horizontal ear I19 intermediate its ends. Each of the ears I18 carries a pin I engageable with the extreme right-hand latch I56 of the latch bars I51. A spring I8I urges the slide upwardly and the lower end of the post .I1I of the trykey engages the ear I19 to depress the slide. Depression of the slide by the try key in this manner causes the pins I80 to latch beneath their associated latches I55 and in doing so to release the lever I52 of any other key which may have been depressed and latched down. Depression of the key I10 does not, however, adjust acam. to control the type disc. The key switch of the key I1Ii,which is identical with that illustrated in Fig. 4., of course initiates a ticket printing and issuing operation, of the machine in the usual manner but Without effecting type selection, the result being that the normally lowermost type or character T on the type discv is printed on the trial ticket issued.

As heretofore set forth, the closing of the contacts caused by depression of any key effects energization of a clutch solenoid which causes engagement of a clutch to place the machine in operation to print and issue a ticket. The prin cipal reason for providing individual switches for the several keys in order to energize the clutch solenoid is to permit of cancellation or scratching of keys bearing any onenumber throughout a plurality of machines. For example, the practice in using these ticket printing and issuing machines for the sale of tickets representing bets on horse races is to employ a plurality of machines for the sale of tickets for any given race. In the event that a horse originally scheduled to run in a particular race is not to run, the scratching of this horse is accomplished, with relation to the ticket printing and issuing machine, by rendering the corresponding keys on all machines inoperative. Consequently, if horse number 2 is not to run,key number 2 on all of the machines should be disabled in order to prevent accidental use and consequent sale of a void ticket. With the present structure, all of the keys bearing the same number on a plurality of machines may be in series circuit with a single scratching switch. Therefore, twelve scratching switches located in a suitable position, such as a main control room, will suffice to disable the keys bearing any single number on any number of machines. As the electrical circuit for accomplishing this scratching is conventional, and a typical wiring diagram is disclosed in our application, Serial No. 288,840, of which this application is a division, it is not disclosed in the present drawings.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is:

1. A key-controlled differential mechanism comprising, a plurality of cams graduated in size and rotatable together upon a common shaft, a key associated one with each of said cams, a differentially movable member, cam followers carried by said member, and means whereby depression of any key will move its associated cam into position for engaging one of said followers to move said member. V I

2. A key-controlled difierential mechanism comprising, a shaft, a plurality of cams graduated in siz and splined to said shaft for rotation therewith and for sliding movement thereon, a difierentially movable member, cam followers on said member engageable by said cams, a key associated with each cam, and means whereby depression of any key will effect rotation of the shaft and will slide its associated cam to a position for engagement with one of said followers.

3. A key-controlled differential mechanism comprising, a differentially movable member, a rotatable shaft, control mechanism for said member carried in part by said shaft and having elements slidable thereon, a key board, and means whereby depression of a key on said board will effect selection and sliding of one of the elements on said shaft to cause movement of said member corresponding to the key depressed. 4. A key-controlled differential mechanism comprising, a rotatable shaft, a differentially movable member carrying a plurality of cam followers, a plurality of cams graduated in size rotatable with and slidable on said shaft, a key board comprising depressible keys one for each of said cams, and a bell crank actuated by depression of each key and engaging its associated cam to slide it to a position for engagement with a follower on said member.

5. A key-controlled differential mechanism comprising, a shaft adapted to be rotated through a single cycle, a plurality of cams graduated in size rotatable with and slidable on said shaft, a differentially movable member, a plurality of cam followers on said member normally out of alignment with said cams,'a board of depressible keys one for each of said cams, a bell crank actuated by depression of each key to engage its associated cam to slide it to a position of registry with one of said cam followers, and means for holding the cam in such position during the cycle of operation of the shaft.

6. A key-controlled differential mechanism comprising, a shaft adapted to be rotated through a single cycle, a plurality of cams graduated in size rotatable with and slidable on said shaft, a differentially movable member, a plurality of cam followers on said member normally out of alignment with said cams, a board of depressible keys one for each of said cams, a bell crank actuated by depression of each key to engage its-associated cam to-slide it to a position of registry with one of said cam followers, and means for holding the cam in such position until depression corresponding to said members, and means eifec tive upon depression of a key to set its corre-' sponding member and to close said switch.

8. An electrically-powered key-controlled differential mechanism comprising, a switch for closing a circuit to said mechanism, members capable of being set to determine the magnitude of movement upon operation of the mechanism, a keyboard having a key associated with each of said members and means effective upon partial depression of any one of said keys to set its associated members and effective upon complete depression thereof to close said switch.

9. An electrically-powered differential mecha-'- nism comprising, a key board, means associated with each key for setting a differential control mechanism to effect movement depending upon the key depressed, and a separate switch actuated by depression of each key to close an electric circuit controlling said mechanism.

10. An electrically-powered key-controlled 'differential mechanism comprising, a key board, differential controls adapted to be set by depression of any key on said board, and a separate switch enclosed in a housing surrounding each key stem and adapted to be closed by depression of the key for completing a circuit to the source of power for said mechanism.

11. An electrically-powered key-controlled differential mechanism comprising, a plurality of depressible keys each having a stem, a switch housing embracing each stem intermediate its ends and enclosing a switch for closing the control circuit upon depression of the key, and means engageable by the lower end of the stem which projects from said housing for setting a differential control member.

12. A key-controlled differential mechanism comprising, a differentially movable member, a plurality of cam followers on said member, a p1u-' rality of numbered keys, a rotating shaft, a cam slidable on said shaft and rotatable thereby for each of said keys, and means whereby depression of any key will efiect sliding of its corresponding cam to a position for registry with one ofsaid followers whereby said member will upon rota-, tion of the shaft be moved a distance corresponding to the number of the key depressed.

THOMAS A. KEEN; JAMES KILBURG. 

